Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tool and workbenches. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a workbench that is convertible into a table saw or routing table.
When working with various tools during a construction project or home renovation, workers require adequate space for proper use of tools and for making accurate measurements or cuts. A cluttered work environment is both a hamper on efficiency and a potential hazard for the worker. Without significant space, a user may make haphazard cuts through material, improper measurements, or utilize tool use techniques that are not particularly safe.
Common household tools for construction or renovation projects include saws and cutting tools. These devices are operated either by hand or are supported by a tool bench for feeding a material theretowards for the purposes of cutting the material into lengths. Some tool operations are best approached using a handheld power tool such as a drill or a circular saw, while still others are best approached using a stationary tool bench wherein the tool remains stationary while its work piece is moved thereto. Examples of stationary power tools include table saws, miter saws, and routers.
A workbench is an important tool for most construction projects, as it provides an elevated platform upon which to operate power tools, make measurements, and to support work pieces being manipulated by the worker. Generally workbenches are limited to sheets of material placed over saw horses or to dedicated assemblies that serve a singular purpose. While providing a necessary functionality, these structures can utilized to support other tools for the purposes of facilitating a project and for aiding a work operating on a work piece.
The present invention provides a combination workbench and power tool support means, wherein the device comprises an frame having extended supports for supporting a pivotable work surface in an elevated position. The work surface is pivotable from its connection to the frame and is clamped thereto when in a working state. Along the work surface is a power tool support plate that allows for attachment of a standard circular saw or router tool to the underside of the work surface, transforming the workbench into a power tool bench supporting the power tool in a working state. The device provides residential and commercial users to operate a power tool therefrom or utilize the device as a simple workbench as desired.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to convertible power tools and workbenches. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications, and generally relate to various structures for the purposes of supporting a power tool or arranging the workbench for a particular task. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,891,277 and 7,752,951 to Ouellette disclose a convertible tool that transitions from a miter saw to a table saw as desired by the user. The device comprises a pivotable saw blade and motor commonly found in miter saws, wherein the saw blade and motor are pivotably connected to a base frame. A pivotable rear table is connected to the base frame and rotates over the miter saw, receiving the unsheathed miter saw blade through a slot in the table to convert the miter saw into a table saw when the table is in a horizontal position thereover. While providing a convertible table that transitions from a miter to a table saw, the Ouellette device does not describe a workbench having a power tool attachment to form either a flat workbench or saw table as desired by the user.
Another such device is U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,747 to Burrows, which discloses a conversion kit for a portable saw that allows an otherwise handheld circular saw to be attached to a workbench for use as a stationary table saw. The kit comprises a set of brackets that allow the circular saw to be attached to a workbench having a penetration through its work surface, whereby the brackets prevent movement of the circular saw and maintain its position while in use as a table saw. The Burrows device is limited to an attachment kit for an existing circular saw rather than a workbench convertible into a tool support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,597 to Calcote discloses a power tool mounting frame for operatively positioning a power tool thereon, comprising a frame having a top for securing a power tool therethrough. The top is mounted to the frame through a series of slots that allow the frame top and thus the attached tool to be oriented in a number of different arrangements for the user. While the Calcote device relates to tool supports and workbenches, the device is for orienting a power tool attached to the workbench in a number of orientations to suit the given task.
Finally, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0079127 to Somogyi discloses a circular saw conversion table that facilitates the conversion of a commercial portable circular saw into a table saw. A plurality of clamps along the bottom surface holds the portable circular saw and table together, wherein the table is collapsible for easy storage and transport. A mounting plate with removably mounted clamping bars secures the circular saw to the table and places the saw blade through the table for use as a table saw.
The present invention provides a modular workbench that allows for an open workspace for workers and also a power tool support for various cutting operations, wherein the device can readily accept a circular saw or router power tool to transform the workbench into a cutting tool. It is submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing workbench devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.